LORAIN — Businesses should tell customers who call in for service that they will be transferred to overseas call centers, according to legislation under consideration by Congress.

Sen. Sherrod Brown yesterday threw his support behind the federal United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2012. The bill was introduced in July and is under review in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The legislation would require companies to notify customers who call in for service that their telephone calls are being transferred abroad.

“When companies send call center jobs overseas, they don’t just frustrate consumers — they hurt our economy as well,” Brown said. “With thousands of Ohioans looking for work, it just doesn’t make sense to ship these jobs overseas. By requiring companies to disclose when their calls are being transferred abroad, businesses could be encouraged to keep their call center jobs here in the United States.”

Brown discussed the issue in a conference call with reporters. He was joined by Terez Woods, of Cleveland, who next week will celebrate her 39th anniversary working at an AT&T call center.